"You can get stories anecdotally. But we found that if they'll work with us with our business assistance we can get through construction and we can set them up to where they can succeed," he said.

And that’s the message Valley Metro hoped to convey to people attending a series of community meetings the city held over the last few months. After all of the controversy, they even brought in an independent facilitator to guide those meetings: Bailey Strategic Innovation Group, which put together a report on their observations.

Hundreds of people came out to the meetings — including a few protesters — and, in the end, the report found the community is hungry for information, but many also feel that their voices have not been heard in major municipal decisions.

The Show Spoke with Eric Bailey, president of Bailey Strategic, to talk about what he heard at those meetings, and how to walk into such a contentious situation.